Chapter 69

This wasn't happening.

It COULDN'T be happening!

Tahlia had one week left until her physical therapy was done and hopefully clearance to get back in the ring. Her revenge was so close, she could TASTE it on her lips and tongue. Tears poured down her cheeks as she sat in the bathroom, trembling from head to toe. What the hell was she going to do? How were they going to survive this? After their mind-blowing night in front of the lake and behind the cemetery, Tahlia and Mark couldn't keep their hands off each other. He even showed affection towards her in front of Amanda, Sam and Gunner, who acted like he was disgusted even though he was happy for them. Oh god Gunner…what would he think about this? Tahlia had to get her head on straight, rolling her shoulder and didn't feel a twinge like she had 6 weeks ago. Standing, she set the object in her hand on the sink and then thought better of it, tossing it in the nearby trashcan before vacating.

He was oblivious to Tahlia's distress, busy on the phone setting up travel arrangements and discussing business for when they returned in one week. Taker was more than ready to hit the road, not that they hadn't been releasing their aggression out on each other because they had. Sex with Tahlia was mind-blowing and a workout all of its own. When everything was squared away, he stood and pushed away from his desk, striding out of the office. One more week, they just had one more week and then they could go remind those dickheads that darkness never died, it only slept.

Turning the corner, they ran into each other and Tahlia looked up into his bewildered green eyes, tears instantly filling her own. She was going to lose him. She was going to lose what they had rebuilt and felt her heart breaking all over again. Why was this happening to her? Just one week away from returning to the road and now this…HUGE obstacle stood in her way. Tahlia was trembling so hard, her teeth chattered and she had to take several deep breaths before she ended up having a full-fledged panic attack.

"I-I really need to talk to you." Amanda and Sam were there with the baby. "Alone. It's urgent."

Amanda could hear the fear in her friend's voice and immediately walked over with Abrianna in her arms. "Tahlia, is everything okay sweetie?"

"No – no it's really not. No. No." She kept shaking her head, unable to meet anyone's eyes and felt Mark's hand on the small of her back. "Oh god…" Without warning, she bolted to the bathroom to toss her cookies.

"What the…" Taker had stepped back to avoid getting slammed into, frowning when she slammed the door shut with her foot, even while vomiting and she was hurling hard. Everyone in that hallway could now hear it and he exchanged confused looks with Amanda. "You poison her?" She did make a lot of pies.

"Nobody else is sick, jackass. Maybe it's nerves?" They were going back on the road after all.

Nerves…right…NOT!

Tahlia finally pulled back from the toilet when she was sure nothing else would come up, shaking even harder. So many thoughts ran through her mind, the flashbacks from her first pregnancy flooding her mind. This was Taker's baby…it wasn't some yahoo she'd had a one-night stand with. Swallowing hard, Tahlia didn't know if she had the heart to get rid of a human being they created together. No doubt Taker wouldn't want another child…they hadn't even discussed the living arrangements and just enjoyed being with each other through the past 6 weeks! Factor in Gunner…the boy was NOT going to be happy about this since there was already a baby in the house from Amanda and Sam. When a knock sound at the door, Tahlia rose to her feet shakily just as Mark stepped inside, rinsing her mouth out in the sink.

"Everything okay?" He asked cautiously, already knowing that was a stupid question because from the looks of her, nothing was okay. She looked pale, clammy, and ready to throw up again. Taker pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. She was cool to the touch. "Tahlia?" He didn't think it was nerves; the woman had been just as antsy as him to get back to work.

"No…no nothing is okay. Everything is so fucked UP!" Tahlia hit the sink harshly and had to step away before she broke the mirror, beginning to pace back and forth in front of Taker. "I haven't been feeling good and I thought it was just a stomach bug or maybe I was pushing myself too hard in my physical therapy. I thought…" Dropping to the floor, Tahlia covered her face with her hands and began to cry, rubbing her arms up and down. "I'm sorry Mark, I'm so sorry…" Her birth control had picked a fine time to stop working.

Having absolutely no idea what the hell she was talking about, Taker could only stare down at her, wondering what she was going on about. Maybe an explanation was in order. "Darlin'…"

He bent down towards her, his eye catching what was in the trashcan. Frowning, he picked it up, eyeballing it and everything clicked. He simply held it in his hand, staring at it. Finally, unreadable green eyes focused on her and he simply dropped it back in the garbage. Not saying a word, Taker sat down on the floor beside her, leaning back against the tub and just pulled her into his arms.

"What are we going to do?" Tahlia asked timidly, once she calmed down and slowly sat up, wiping the rest of her tears away.

She had to focus and figure out what to do about this situation. The silence from Mark was deafening and it made her nervous, to say the least. She knew he was thinking about Gunner and his family, how this would impact their lives as well as their relationship. All of her doctors were in New York, including her OBGYN. If he wanted her to get rid of the baby, Tahlia wouldn't argue with him on it because she wasn't sure if she was mother material.

"I-I don't know how this happened. I mean I DO know how it happened, but…my birth control has been working fantastic all these years…"

Ten to one, all these years she wasn't out whoring around. Well, minus Shane McMahon and he would never voice anything out loud about that because she had done it at his, left to be, interpreted order. So… maybe her birth control hadn't been effective… no, because all the sex they had before they split up hadn't resulted in a baby. He sighed finally, running a hand through his hair as he stared at her.

"You do know eventually… mother nature finds a way, right?" He asked, shrugging when her eyes narrowed. "What do you want to do, Tahlia?" God, don't let her say give it up… or abortion.

"I don't have a fucking clue."

That was the honest to god truth. She had no idea what to do about this situation and placed a hand on her stomach, already knowing at that moment a life was growing inside of her. Another life. Mark was a terrific father, but she wasn't mother material, which is why she'd given up her first baby for adoption. Tahlia wasn't getting any younger and her time in the WWF was limited.

"Damn it." Standing, she walked into his bedroom and sat on the bed, rubbing her right arm. It was something she did whenever she had to calm down and it usually stopped her from having a panic attack. "I'll go to New York since you're going back on the road." She said once he joined her, officially kissing her revenge against the Faction goodbye.

"Uh, what?" Taker knew as the father, and being unmarried, that until that baby was born and he went to court, he had no rights. At all. He couldn't dictate what she did, where she went, not a thing. "I want you to stay." He said quietly. "Or, I can come to New York, Tahlia. You don't have to be alone in this." He would step up, not just for the baby, but for her. "This doesn't change anything. I still want you… I still want to be with you." His hand moved to her stomach, feeling her stomach clenching under his palm.

"But we haven't…we haven't discussed anything…"

Tahlia placed her hand over his on her stomach and looked up at him, seeing the truth shining in his eyes. Staying in Texas would mean moving here. She would be uprooting her life from New York to Texas…and something told her it was the right thing to do.

"You can't come to New York with me." Turning, she cupped his face in her soft hands and softly kissed him, resting her forehead against his. "Gunner is settled here along with Amanda and Sam. It wouldn't be fair to uproot their lives when everyone is comfortable here. If you want me to stay, if this is your way of asking me to move in, then I'll do it. I don't want to lose you again, Mark…"

"We can come to New York." Taker said slowly, knowing she did love her city. "Gunner and I have been looking into country houses." He preferred his privacy and nature opposed to noise and sound pollution. Not to mention the crime in these cities, even his own beloved Houston. "Amanda and Sam… they said they'd come for a little while if I wanted them to and try it out for a few months." Those two wouldn't want to stay away from Texas, or their families, all that long and he didn't blame them. "Tahlia, I'm asking you to be with ME. Location is just a secondary. I'll be home wherever you are, and Gunner… he'll adjust." The boy had expressed interest in snow as well, the crazy kid.

His words, a few months ago, would've been music to her ears, but not now. She'd spent 3 months in Houston and had grown fond of it, waiting for Taker to say something about her moving in. He never did though, so she figured he didn't want her moving in with him and Gunner yet. Now that she was pregnant, all of that had changed.

"You're not hearing me. I don't want to live in New York. I love the city, but I also love Houston too." It was her turn to speak slowly and precisely. "I just want you and Gunner. I could give a shit where we live. So if you want to move to New York because YOU want to, I'm on board, but if you're only doing it because of me, then don't." The ranch was huge, gorgeous and fit them all comfortably, not to mention Amanda, Sam and Abrianna were here. "You and Gunner, Amanda and Sam, even baby Abrianna, are my family now." And soon, a new addition would be added to the family because Tahlia wasn't getting rid of something they created. Her revenge was forgotten; Triple H and Stephanie would get theirs one day down the road, but right now she had to focus on her own life. "So tell me honestly, do you want to leave Houston?"

Taker shook his head finally, shrugging his shoulders. He had meant it though, home was with her, even if it was in… Canada; that was as close to hell as a person could get, right? "So… you going to wear my ring again?" And set a date because he was about to make honest people out of them both. "Shit… Gunner is going to lose his mind…" In a good way. The kid was great with Abri and he'd need a brother or sister.

"Wait what?!" Tahlia watched him stand to walk over to his dresser and swallowed hard, not believing he kept the ring she gave back to him. "Mark…" Huge tears slid down her cheeks as he lowered to one knee, a hand covering her mouth. "Wait." She pressed a finger to his lips, letting out a shaky breath and wasn't sure how many more surprises she could take today. First the pregnancy and now this…Tahlia felt like her heart might explode or stop beating, her mouth going dry. "D-Don't do this because of the baby. Plenty of people have babies every day without getting married. I-I want you to be sure…I know you love me and you want me, but…we got bombarded with something life-changing today…" Emotions were running high and she didn't want to be proposed to because she was having his baby. She wanted the proposal to be out of love like it had been last time in the limousine after they'd destroyed Shane McMahon.

"Tahlia, the minute you told me you still loved me, I knew I was going to make you mine. Permanently." He told her, staring up into her tear soaked face and reached up with the hand that wasn't occupied, pushing strands of hair off her forehead. "This is just kickstarting the process is all." Baby or not, he would've married her, if she'd have him. "Will you marry me?" He asked softly, nothing but love in his eyes.

She really hoped Gunner was alright with this, knowing they had two huge bombshells to drop on the poor boy. "Yes."

As soon as the ring slipped on her left ring finger, Tahlia felt complete and kissed him, tossing her arms around his neck crying harder. Relief flooded her body because she wasn't losing Mark again, not for anyone or anything. He was her soul mate, the one who made her completely whole. Both her light and dark sides were fulfilled with his light and dark. Now she was having his baby, bringing a being into the world that was part of both of them. Slowly pulling back, she sniffled and wiped her tears away, knowing a lot more would fall over the next 9 months.

"When do you want to tell Gunner about everything?"

"Well… let's find out how far along you are before we go announcing that one…" He suggested cautiously. The first 12 weeks were when most women were likely to lose their babies. "I don't want to get anyone's hopes up and then… then something happen. Shit…" Taker stood up and moved away from her, raking both hands through his hair. "We're going out. I'll find you an OB, get you some prenatal vitamins… you need milk, lots of-" He trailed off when he realized she was looking at him weird. "What?"

"First of all, this isn't my first pregnancy. Secondly, milk makes me sick, so that's not happening. And third, you need to calm down and breathe." Tahlia could see how wound up he was and took his hands, understanding about waiting. Amanda would know something was going on though, but Gunner could wait. "You are shaking, Mark." Much like she had been a little while ago in the bathroom. She wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him close and nuzzled his chest, sighing in contentment. "I'll take care of finding an OB, getting my prenatals and all of that." Tahlia knew this scared him because of what happened to Jodie, but it wouldn't happen with her. "I guess this is my official retirement from wrestling." She laughed bitterly, fresh tears filling her eyes.

Jodi had been lactose intolerant, she had drunk almond milk, which she said was delicious, the vanilla stuff. But he wasn't about to mention his dead wife to his possibly hormonal pregnant fiancée. Taker wasn't entirely stupid.

"It doesn't have to be darlin', you can always come back afterwards." He knew all about that balance and it wasn't easy to do, at all, but it could, sort of, be done.

"Yes it does." Tahlia pulled away from him, shaking her head sadly. "I gave up my first child because of wrestling. If I'm doing this mother thing, I'm doing it right and for the long haul. I won't be a deadbeat mother who puts her career before her kid. So yeah, I'm done with the ring. My body won't recover after this one, not entirely."

What if he didn't find her attractive once she popped this baby out and their relationship fizzled? Tahlia knew what she felt were her hormones going haywire and she had to take another deep breath, finally looking at the ring he'd presented her with over a year ago.

"Amanda knows something is up, so if you don't want her to know why I freaked out earlier, then you need to come up with an explanation."

"First darlin', if being a deadbeat is someone who puts a career first… what does that make me?" He asked with a crooked smile, feeling just a tiny twinge of something his chest. Did she really view it that way? "Second, Amanda won't say a word, not once we come out of this room. She'll wait for you or me to say something first."

"No, you're not a deadbeat, far from it. You're a provider and you did what you had to do for your son. His mother died horribly and he needed his father, but you also needed to provide for him. Your circumstances are completely different from mine. I don't want to miss anything with this baby because it's with you." Tahlia reached for his hand, pulling him to gently sit on the bed with her and turned to face him. "You are an amazing father to Gunner, and I know you'll be an amazing father to our baby too." Taking his hand, she pressed it against her stomach and caressed his face with the back of her free hand tenderly. "We'll keep this a secret as long as you want. Just let me know when you wanna let the cat out of the bag, alright?" He would have to provide for the entire family now because she would be a stay-at-home mother and soon-to-be wife.

"12 weeks. Let's go to town."

They had a few hours before Gunner got home and he suddenly felt like pampering her. And… he wanted to know how far along she was. Taker could wheedle her into giving him his way; money spoke, he'd have her into a doctor this afternoon if she'd allow it.

Money talked indeed. Tahlia was taken as a new patient at an OBGYN's office in downtown Houston, which was next to her physical therapist. They drew her blood to confirm the pregnancy and rushed the results. It was the longest hour and a half wait of her life. Doctor Magnum called her to the back, an older woman with grey short hair and soft blue eyes. Taker went to the back with her, their hands clasped and didn't let go of him, bouncing her knee up and down nervously.

"Okay Tahlia…I have your results and you are pregnant." Doctor Magnum informed to start the appointment, reading the blood test results.

"How far along?"

The doctor smiled softly. "Let's find out." Tahlia was already undressed, wearing a cloth gown and laid her down on the padded bedding, holding the wand up covered in lubricant before sliding it inside of her. "So Tahlia, is this your first baby?"

"No…I had one back in 1995 and gave it up for adoption." Tahlia felt Taker squeeze her hand while her eyes remained locked on the monitor.

"Okay, are you planning on doing that with this one or…?" They both laughed when Taker growled a categorical no. "Now let's see here…it looks like you are just about 7 weeks along."

The night by the lake and the cemetery immediately popped into her mind as Tahlia felt tears fill her eyes. "And everything looks good?"

"Yes sweetie, everything looks perfectly fine and normal. Do you want to hear the heartbeat?" She turned the monitor on and the sound of a strong heartbeat flooded out of the speakers.

"Oh my god…"

"So this is a cabaret, cemetery baby then."

He laughed, ignoring the curious look the doctor gave him. When she played the heartbeat, his laughter subsided and he cocked his head to the side, listening intently. Taker knew that sound, he remembered hearing it with Jodi when they had found out she was pregnant with Gunner. He blinked back a sudden, strange surge of emotion and squeezed Tahlia's hand.

"Sounds strong."

After getting cleaned up and changed back into her clothes, Doctor Magnum prescribed some prenatal vitamins they would have to pick up at the pharmacy and gave Tahlia magazines on childbirth. They walked out of the clinic, after spending 2 hours in there, and Mark helped Tahlia up into the truck. It had become second nature to him. Tahlia began thinking back to that night she'd gone out with Taker, trying to remember if she'd taken her birth control pill or not. Apparently, she had to miss that day's dosage because every other time they had sex in the past, she never got pregnant. 7 weeks along…that meant she had to wait another 5 weeks before they could tell Gunner, Amanda and Sam the news.